Leeds United will make the signing of Georginio Rutter official soon, and Fabrizio Romano has revealed in his exclusive column CaughtOffside that it is a club-record transfer that could reach £40m.
The Leeds board are huge fans of Rutter and decided it was worth making this big investment in the 20-year-old, who is set to pass a medical before completing his move to Elland Road.
Rutter shone during his spell at Hoffenheim, and Romano also says there were other Premier League clubs interested in the young Frenchman, as well as other Bundesliga teams.
“Georginio Rutter is in Leeds with his agent ahead of medical tests, and the deal will be made official soon,” Romano said.
“Leeds will pay a club record £28m plus add-ons of up to £40m. Leeds decided to fortify themselves on the Rutter deal because they consider him such a great talent. Many clubs wanted him, but the president Radrizzani decided to bet big on him.
more stories / Last News
“There were other clubs from the Premier League and the Bundesliga also interested.”
Still, it looks like this is all but over for Leeds, with Jesse Marsch sure to be delighted to be able to add this exciting talent to his squad for the second half of the season.
Leeds narrowly survived in the Premier League last season, and could be dragged into another relegation battle this year unless they improve in the coming weeks and months, but an ambitious signing like this should help.